She Prevails

I was recently asked to share my story about how I have prevailed in some aspect of my life. This was shared on social media and I am so excited about the feedback I have received. I have made new friends in women that have reached out to talk, and connected with old friends who are sadly going through their own hard times and just need to hear that it will be okay. Below is the story and link to the post for the video:

My story is one that started just 5 years ago. I was diagnosed with MS in June of 2014, and over the next four months my life would continue to throw curve balls at me. Between June and October I found out about this disease, that my then-husband was ending our marriage due to an affair he was having, and shortly after that I also found out I was also pregnant with our second child. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.

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After finally accepting that I was facing all of this on my own, I realized that the strength to get through it was going to come from within. I had to force myself out of bed many days. I had to make myself be a mom. I had to force myself to want to rebuild and strengthen relationships, because I was in such a dark place. Now I can see that I could not have done it without my friends and family. To this day, I still do not think that anyone realizes how low I was.

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I was angry with myself for my failed marriage. I was angry with my friends who didn’t know how to help me, even though I did not know what I needed myself. And, at the time, I was also angry with God. I could not imagine how he could let all of this happen to one person.

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I have spent the last 5 years rebuilding my life. I have focused on relationships with those that I care about most, cutting out the toxic people who do not have similar goals that I do, rediscovering my faith, and realizing that settling is not an option. I refuse to settle in my friendships, my relationships, my career, or my hobbies. I will not put time and energy into something that will not better myself. That may seem selfish to some, but I see it as understanding my self-worth. I deserve happiness and good things in life, and now that I am finally recognizing that myself, I will not let anyone stand in my way.

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I hope that any women out there facing life after marriage, life after disease, or those starting a journey into motherhood alone can see, you are not alone. You can’t do it alone, and THAT IS OKAY! Humans are social creatures, and having a support system is the most important thing that you can do. It doesn’t matter what you are facing in life, I truly believe that it will come full circle in time, and you will see the positive in it.

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Now that I am beyond most of that, though still living with MS, I can honestly say that I am thankful for everything that has happened to me. I would not be who I am today without the struggles that I went through, and the people that have helped me get through them.